MELBOURNE, Australia — Though this is Coco Gauff’s first Australian Open, it must seem very familiar.
In the first round, she faced Venus Williams, the same venerable champion she played in the first round at Wimbledon last year.
In the third round, she will face Naomi Osaka, the same new-age champion she played in the third round at last year’s United States Open.
Gauff, an incandescent 15-year-old from Delray Beach, Fla., hopes experience will help her handle the moment better on Friday than she did in New York, where Osaka defeated her 6-3, 6-0 in Arthur Ashe Stadium.